Russian libraries remove Alexander Pelevin’s ‘Pokrov-17’ over Galina Yuzefovich quote after her foreign agent designation
Libraries in Moscow and the Arkhangelsk and Leningrad regions have begun removing “Pokrov-17,” a novel by the pro-war writer Alexander Pelevin, from their open shelves, TV host Ksenia Sobchak’s Telegram channel Krovavaya Barynya reported.
Russian libraries in Moscow, Arkhangelsk, and Leningrad regions have started removing Alexander Pelevin's novel "Pokrov-17" from public display after a quote from literary critic Galina Yuzefovich was found on its cover. Readers can still request the book, but it is being taken out of reading rooms due to Yuzefovich's designation as a "foreign agent" by Russia's Justice Ministry in July 2026.
The specific edition of "Pokrov-17" in question was published by Gorodets in 2021. A Moscow library employee informed TV host Ksenia Sobchak's channel that librarians verify the "foreign agents" registry weekly, along with other lists of extremist materials and books mentioning drugs. However, not all libraries conduct these checks, as evidenced by a St. Petersburg library that does not run such screenings.
Yuzefovich's quote on "Pokrov-17" originates from a 2019 review she wrote for Meduza about a different Pelevin novel from 2018.
Written by urgent.news from Meduza (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
